Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal
Gi-Oh! Zexal (遊☆戯☆王ZEXAL（ゼアル）, Yūgiō Zearu?, lit. Game King Zeal) is a Japanese manga series. It was first unveiled on December 18, 2010, in the February 2011 issue of V Jump magazine, where it began serialization.1 It is the fourth Yu-Gi-Oh! anime television series produced by TV Tokyo and Nihon Ad Systems. The anime TV series began airing on TV Tokyo between April 11, 2011 and September 24, 2012, following the previous series, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, with an English language version airing in North America from October 15, 2011. A second series, Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal II (遊☆戯☆王ZEXAL II(セカンド), Yūgiō Zearu Sekando?, lit. Game King Zeal Second), began airing in Japan on October 7, 2012. edit Plot See also: List of Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal charactersTaking place in the near future in a place called Heartland City, the story focuses on Yuma Tsukumo, a young duelist who strives to become the Duel Monsters champion, despite being an amateur. One day, during a duel with a rival named Shark, a mysterious spirit called Astral appears before him, and helps him to win. Astral explains to Yuma he is searching for his lost memories, which have been transformed into 99 Xyz Monsters (エクシーズ モンスター, Ekushīzu Monsutā?) cards called Numbers (ナンバーズ, Nanbāzu?) and have been scattered across the globe. The Numbers have the ability to possess the duelists who own them and bring out their darkest desires. In order to recover his memories, Astral teams up with Yuma in order to recover the Numbers cards. After coming up against a boy named Kite Tenjo, who is hunting after Numbers, Yuma and Astral gain the ability to combine their forces using the power of Zexal (ゼアル, Zearu?). Entering the World Duel Carnival tournament, Yuma finds himself up against various rivals, including the vengeance-seeking Vetrix and the maniacal Dr. Faker, who seek the Numbers for their own gain. Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal II takes place right after the end of the first series. In this new story, as the curtain falls on the World Duel Carnival, peace has finally returned to Heartland City. But now, forces from the Barian World, a world hostile to the Astral World, are aiming at taking the "Numbers" and Astral for themselves. In order to protect Astral, Yuma, Kite, and Shark stand together to combat the Barian threat. edit Xyz Monsters Introduced to the series are Xyz Monsters, which have also been added to the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game. By stacking two or more monsters of the same level on top of each other, an Xyz Monster with a Rank that matches that level can be summoned. The overlayed monsters, or Overlay Units (Xyz Material in the TCG), can then be used to activate an Xyz Monster's effect. The most prominent Xyz Monsters in the anime series are the Numbers cards, some of which have Chaos Numbers counterparts. edit Media edit Manga A manga series written by Shin Yoshida and illustrated by Naoto Miyashi began serialization in the extended February 2011 issue of Shueisha's V Jump magazine, released on December 18, 2010.2 The first bound volume was released in Japan on June 3, 2011.3 Viz Media licensed the manga in North America and began releasing the series from June 5, 2012.45 The manga also began serialization on the digital Shonen Jump Alpha from July 9, 2012.6 A spin-off manga written by Akihiro Tomonaga and illustrated by Wedge Holdings, titled Yu-Gi-Oh! D-Team Zexal (遊☆戯☆王 Dチーム・ゼアル, Yūgiō Dyueru Chīmu Zearu?), began serialization in Shueisha's Saikyō Jump magazine from April 2012. [edit Anime Main articles: List of Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal and Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal II episodesThe anime was first teased on December 9, 2010, revealing details would be unveiled at the Japanese encore screening of Yu-Gi-Oh! 3D: Bonds Beyond Time on February 20, 2011.7 The series' name was revealed on December 13, 2010, via a leak from the February 2011 issue of V Jump. It was revealed that Satoshi Kuwahara would be the director, that scripts would be supervised by Shin Yoshida, that Masahiro Hikokubo would choreograph the duels, and that Hirotoshi Takaya would adapt the character designs for the anime.1 A one minute promotional video was released on December 17, 2010.2 The anime aired on TV Tokyo between April 11, 2011 and September 24, 2012.8 A second series, Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal II, began airing from October 7, 2012 in a different time slot.9 An English adaption by 4Kids Entertainment premiered on October 15, 2011 on Toonzai.[10 Although, TV Tokyo and Nihon Ad Systems filed a lawsuit against 4Kids Entertainment and demanded the termination of the Yu-Gi-Oh! licensing agreement with them in March 2011,11 a stay of proceedings was ordered preventing the termination of the contract or the resale of the franchise until a ruling is decided.12 Following the bankruptcy of 4Kids, all Yu-Gi-Oh! assets were acquired by Konami's 4K Acquisition Corp. The series currently airs on Saban's Vortexx block with Konami setting up a new company, featuring former 4Kids employees, dedicated to producing future episodes